The last time the Oilers played the Detroit Red Wings, they completely dropped the ball and absolutely ruined our Saturday. This time around, the boys are going to need a much better effort if they’re going to end this losing streak and dole out some sweet justice for the last time these two teams met.

QUICK HITS

1. Coming into today’s game, the Red Wings are at 22.4% on the power play and 84.6% on the penalty kill. Needless to say, those numbers are currently better than what the Oilers are doing with their special teams so it will be important for the Oilers to stay out of the box and also do everything they can to capitalize with the man advantage.

2. The Red Wings have been scoring goals at a higher rate than the Oilers this year, and that’s an issue. Their 63(for) – 58 (against) goal differential is light years ahead of where the Oilers are at (53-72) and they will have to play sound defensively as to not get beaten again.

3. At 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, the Oilers will be going up against a team on a roll but not one that is unbeatable. The Red Wings lost their last outing against the Avalanche on Sunday and have had three days of rest between games. Let’s hope that their small break created some rust. Wishful thinking? To compare, the Oilers are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games.

4. According to DailyFaceoff.com, the Red Wings will be without Martin Frk due to a groin injury. In 18 games played, Frk has six goals and three assists for nine points. Too bad he won’t be playing.

5. After 21 games, the Red Wings currently rank in the middle of the pack in terms of goals-for per game (2.90) and in the top third for goals-against (2.71).

6. Last night’s 8-3 killing by the St. Louis Blues was the Oilers’ third straight loss in a spiral that seems to be as ruthless as it is neverending. Over the course of this losing streak, Edmonton has allowed 18 goals which seems like an unfathomable total.

7. According to the Wings Official Site, Jimmy Howard will get the start against the Oilers. Howard has 8-5-0-2 record on the year with an excellent .928 save% and a 2.34 GAA. Those kinds of numbers combined with the Oilers unbelievably low team shooting% and you have the makings of a long afternoon.

8. After registering a goal in his first NHL game of the season, Jesse Puljujarvi hasn’t seen the scoresheet since. Puljujarvi’s minutes and linemates (and likely the expectations) have changed throughout his short tenure with the Oilers but he is still getting his minutes (15:41, 11:55, 13:04, 12:04, 13:59) and needs to find a way to chip in.

9. Darnell Nurse scored his first goal of the season against the St. Louis Blues after also playing a season high 25:58 on the back end. Nurse has been a good story this year, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s going to get too much thrown on his plate before he is ready. As we’re seeing with Klefbom, confidence can be a key factor to success and you’d hate to see Darryl lose his.

10. According to Corsica, the Oilers still rank second in terms of CF% with a 55.13%. They also rank 4th in terms of Expected Goals For. At some point, the tides have to turn around here, right? RIGHT?! I believe, at some point, the goals will starting going in for Edmonton but will it be too late when that time comes? We’re getting there.

11. The Oilers have four regulation wins after 21 games played. If only every game could make it to overtime. That said, it won’t be easy to get there since they are 1-7-3 in their last 11 games in Detroit.

WHAT HE SAID…

“I played against (McDavid) last year. When he’s on the ice, you got to be aware, but at the same time he’s one of those players that makes players around him so much better. You got to be aware of when he’s got the puck on his stick because if he’s not shooting it, he can make those plays to Draisaitl or Maroon.” -Jimmy Howard, on facing Connor McDavid (source)

GAME DAY QUESTIONS?

How will the Oilers respond after last night’s game against the Blues?

Is today the day where the special teams improve?

Is this the day the Oilers will be able to get their lives together and look a little bit more like the team that broke the playoff drought?

Who will Todd McLellan start in net after Cam Talbot got the hook after allowing two goals on three shots in St. Louis?

How many “character tests” does a team need? That term is used too often for the Oilers. What I’m surprised is that back to back cliche hasnt been trotted out yet. Thats always been a fave for the Oilers woes. The players and coaches will say all the right things but will anything change?

Actually, not really, other teams are better than us at 3v3. We can’t even put out 2 pairs of skilled speed. Connor and Drai, and Nuge and ?????. Used to be Ebs, but we did not need him. Ebs and Nuge were magic to watch on the 3v3.

Why even bother watching this s7*t…?
It’s not putting us in a “good place”…
It reminds me of yester-year, when the outcome of most every game was predictable…
Heck, even Arizona is on a 3 game winning streak…
I’m done watching, until they can turn it around if afraid…
More important things in life…

This game will tell the story of where this season is headed. To bottom 3 hell and DOD rerun or 0.500 respectable hockey and making it tough for playoff bound teams. And playing the spoiler. We will see what kind of character these guys are really made of.

In regards to our Corsi and Expected Goals being so high and not resulting in goals, the answer is simple: the Oilers lack finishers. They get great chances created by the likes of McDavid and Draisaitl, and no one can finish outside of those two and Nuge. That’s a MAJOR problem.

I agree. I listen on 630 CHED quite often, and when Jack’s voice starts rising as the Oilers are getting a great scoring chance, i’m always very surprised when we actually do score. Usually it’s just another miss, or wide of the net, then a breakaway back down to the other end.

I’m hoping for a Blowout. 8-3 Wings! Get some entertainment out of the negativity after the game through the media, and it’s much easier to stomach what has happened with this organization when I don’t set myself up for disappointment. Go Wings. I hope to see some Jerseys on the Ice soon.

I will never cheer for loses. Losing sucks. I kept my expectations in check for years and finally, this year, I actually had a good feeling about the team and the playoffs. Fool me once Oilers. Never again. Im just going to assume they will never make the playoffs ever again, can’t be let down when you have no expectations.

Can’t imagine this will go any better tonight. I think I have said that they will “turn the corner soon” about 10 times now and it just ain’t happenin. I drove up from Lethbridge for that wonderful St.Louis game last Thursday so I skipped watching last night out of spite for that terrible game I wasted so much money on. From the sounds of things they basically quit last night. I want to love this team but if they have already quit then why should I keep watching?? I will be really surprised if some heads don’t get rolled either by trade for firing in the next week.

This season is more dissapointing then all the ten years of darkness. We all know what this team is capable of and the product on display right now is just disgusting. Tough being an oiler fan. Very tough.

They have shown little to no ability this season (or even last season) to put together the kind of crazy winning percentage to make the playoffs. No way, no how. I think if these guys can scrape together a 0.500 record from where they are right now, will be a big accomplishment. This current team does not have what it takes to make the playoffs, period.

I’m not on the blaming McDavid train, because he’s producing offensively. However, has anyone else noticed how many goals against McDavid has been on for. Lately his line always seems to be playing defense, or lack thereof, instead of offence. Obviously not entirely on him, but his line needs to be better.

Three of the first four goals against last night, including the first two.
The first two goals against vs Dallas.
The first goal against in the previous St. Louis meeting.

The first goal against STL 3-games ago. The one that was SH and Talbot F’d up and gave the puck to the Blues player for a wide open net? That goal? That is on McDavid? A million Trashes for that thought.

Hes a beast.mcd ….was surrounded by 3 or 5 players all night…..was great chance for secondary scoring to help and shift some focus off him..he is doing as much as 1 guy possibly can….from a flames fan..hope you improve..honestly

Sounds like you are. What happens to a lot of these drivers of the bus is they realize that everyone including themselves looks to them to right the ship. So they try extra hard to make the perfect play and put the team on their back. They lose the puck because of this deperate effort, and then the other team goes down and scores a horrible goal given up by their goaltender. This is not on McDavid. He wants to win badly and is trying too hard to make things happen. The other problem is the opposing team knows they only have to jam up his line to stop the Oilers. Please leave McDavid alone. He is not the problem.

You know when they show these in the community type of videos of NHL players meeting little kids showing them how to play hockey in a gym or something and the kids are holding the stick wrong and swinging wildly at the ball? That’s what I feel like I am watching when Lucic tries to make a pass. Minus the cuteness.

I certainly hope so…
The best case scenario would be to hire Ted Nolan, former coach of the year. Great coach in every league he’s coached.
The best thing about him is he’ll turn the team around & he was known as the GM killer…. Great coach…
Google him…

You are kidding, right? The guy has a losing record at the NHL level, save his Adams trophy season, and has NEVER had a good working relationship with any of his GMs. Ever… THAT is why he is called the GM killer. It’s not a good thing.

A bit kidding, but worth a look… The GM killer had to do with him voicing his opinions, in Buffalo’s case it had to do with “Racial issues”… How does a guy go from coach of the year to being fired in the off season… He had one of Buffalo’s best records. As well had above average winning records in every league he has coached… He is known as a players coach, with an above average ability to see players attributes and train them to be better… Heck, he coached the Latvian Hockey Team at the Sochi Olympics.
They reached the quarter finals & lost to Canada 2 – 1,… Pretty darn good for a bunch of no-names…
Read this article: https://www.nhl.com/islanders/news/ted-nolans-bio-and-background/c-464259

Agree with E-Mac. McD has to sharpen up on the flip side of the game. Everyone seems to give McD as pass on defence. The all important first ga last night was poorly played by McD. Earlier in the sequence, he twice failed to identify and pick up his check. Puck watching instead of identifying the 3rd threat not being covered by the D and moving toward him. The Blues thereby gained a gift in time and space, leading up to the point where Klef falls. But – never should have got that far.

Ok…let’s go with that. He can be better on D…but let’s start with those players that are doing NOTHING to help this team win, offensively or defensively before we get on Connor. That’s a long, long list before McDavid’s name is called.

It’s sad how bad the oilers’ version of bad is. Watching teams like Detroit and vancouver play competitive hockey WHILE rebuilding shows just how messed up this franchise is.

I really don’t think it’s possible for the team to ever pull out of this until the guys in the head office are gone. Lots of people think it’s just bs conspiracy that the oilers still suck because Lowe and Mact are still here, but how much more proof do you need?
This goes so far beyond proof I don’t know what else could possibly be done to prove it?
12 years later and still seeing the same problems? Every player has been replaced multiple times and still seeing the same problems? The entire coaching staff has been replaced multiple times and still seeing the same problems?
Is there ever going to be a point when lots of you people open your eyes and accept what the problem is? What else can possibly be done to make it clearer?

There is such thing as a toxic environment. I get that PC makes some crap moves, but there is something else wrong well beyond his moves. It MUST be an ongoing joke behind the scenes amongst the nhl how the oilers operate.. promotions for incompetence, play a few good games and sign for fifty percent more than you are worth.. everyone must know these things in the league.

I fail to see how Mact and Lowe really have anything to do with the current team? Chia is the GM. McL is the coach. Are you saying Lowe and Mact have some sort of Voodoo against the team??

Exactly what players or additions to the current team were 100% or even 50% the old boys?? I would guess the current team on the ice couldn’t give two sh*ts if Lowe and Mact were with the team or not. Those two guys have little to no effect on the day to day of the players on the team.

Losing is hard, and it sucks bad but its funny where the blame gets directed when the team is failing. Guys are even blaming Mcdavid now….

Chia didn’t get a better backup goalie, find a replacement for Sekera and he relied on progression from players that maybe overachieved last year. Blame a couple nobodies if you want, but its the players, GM and Coach that have to answer for this awful start if you ask me. Chia overdid it since he got here, trying to do too much sometimes and overthinking. Mcl seems to have lost the room if his comments last night mean anything.

That is what the oilers say. They tell everyone they (Mact and lowe) don’t have anything to do with hockey ops. When the camera pans up to the box and I see Lowe sitting shoulder to shoulder with PC and I see the team sucking in the same ways it always has, it shouldn’t be so easily discounted as a reason.